


Ain't No Party Like a Kogane-McClain Party

by canicallyoumaddie



Series: Our Story: A Domestic Klance AU [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Arguments that have shouting, Aroace Pidge, Domestic klance, Engaged Klance, Engagement Party, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Pidge, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Lance has a sister that appears, M/M, Mild Angst, OCs - Freeform, Relationship Advice, Relationship Problems, Shiro and Allura are married, Strong Language, alcohol mention, klance, shallura - Freeform, verbal dispute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 06:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10530564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canicallyoumaddie/pseuds/canicallyoumaddie
Summary: "Okay, so we just have 36 hours until it is party time! Are you excited?" Lance slipped off the barstool and snuck his arms around Keith's neck. He felt a gentle kiss placed on his forearm and smiled."Yes, I'm very excited," Keith replied.---A week after their engagement, Keith and Lance plan a party to celebrate with their family and friends. Before that can happen, though, a few issues need to be worked out. Thankfully the two of them have good friends who give good advice, and their love for each other is stronger than their frustration.





	

**Author's Note:**

> ....cause a Kogane-McClain party don't stop.
> 
> HOO BOY was this a doozy to write. This is the longest thing I've ever written in probably my life, especially as a single chapter fic. It was a challenge to write, but I had fun while doing it. I hope that you all have fun reading it!

"I'm telling you, it's nothing personal," Lance said, grasping Keith's hand. "They probably are just having a shitty day."

 

Keith stiffened and frowned. "I don’t think so."

 

"Honey..."

 

"I'm serious," Keith huffed. "They glared at us when we walked in. What is wrong with people?" Before Lance could reply, their conversation was cut short by a shout from their right. 

 

"Hey! Love birds!" Pidge yelled, dragging someone along by the hand from across the room. 

 

Lance and Keith looked at each other with raised eyebrows, unfamiliar with Pidge's companion. "Hey, Pidge. Who's this?" Keith said when they approached.

 

"Oh, this is Alan. Alan, these are my best friends, Keith and Lance," Pidge said, gesturing to each of them in turn. 

 

Alan's face lit up as he stuck out a hand to greet them. "Hello! It's so nice to meet you both!"

 

"Alan and I met in a humanities class a while back. I saw him at Coran's place not too long ago, we chatted, and lately we've just been getting to know each other better," Pidge said, guiding Alan and shepherding the other two men over to a table. "After hanging out for a few hours with pizza and Mass Effect, we found out we jive pretty well!" 

 

Keith nudged Pidge under the table, and once he got her attention, gestured to her phone. 

 

 -----

** Keith **

**> Does he know?**

\-----

 

Pidge looked down at the text and back up at Keith. He raised his eyebrows expectantly. She nodded, slipping her phone into her pocket. Keith looked agitated, which caught Lance's attention. 

 

"Hey, everything okay?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at Keith. 

 

"—It's nothing!" Pidge interjected, shooting Keith a look. 

 

Lance looked confused, but glossed over the outburst. "Hey Keith, why don't you grab a pitcher for the group. Pidge, could you go with him?" Lance suggested. He met Keith's eyes, and Keith shrugged. 

 

"Fine by me. Let's go, K," he said, dragging Pidge away from the table. 

 

"What is your deal, dude?" Pidge asked once they'd left, rearing up to her full height of 5'1". 

 

"Don't want you to get hurt," Keith said nonchalantly. 

 

"Okay, but...Alan's definitely a good guy and he wouldn't hurt me on purpose," Pidge said, crossing her arms. 

 

"Well that's good--you haven't exactly dated much, and you know how the last one went..."

 

"How was I supposed to know he was such a jerk? Besides, that was before I figured stuff out about myself, so it was bound to implode sometime," she replied, holding money out to the cashier and exchanging it for a pitcher of beer. "Also, we aren’t dating. We're both aroace, he's funny, and we get along super well. This guy is as into video games as I am—and you know that's saying a lot!" Holding the pitcher, she looked him in the eye. "Don't worry. He's just a friend. No pressure, just hangouts and palling around," She laughed and gestured with her head toward the table. "Come on, let’s go before Lance gives him the third degree."

 

The two walked back over to find Lance and Alan caught up in a conversation about public policy. 

 

"So, what do you think, then, about what's happening with the EPA? I'm afraid it's just going to be disbanded and we're all going to die from toxic waste," Alan was saying as the two sat down. 

 

"Oh, definitely. I'm fairly concerned. Especially since we already have such a shitty Gulf—we really don't need fewer restrictions on what people do with their garbage," Lance replied, shaking his head. “I can’t even go to the beach without worrying about flesh-eating bacteria.”

 

"You got him started on the EPA? Man, you opened a can of worms, there," Pidge said with a smile, taking her seat. 

 

"Hey, don't hate 'cause I love the environment," Alan responded, sticking out his tongue. "This is a serious issue! It'll wreck the fishing industry, ruin our aquifers, and make it unsafe to swim."

 

Pidge patted his arm and shook her head, looking at her two friends, "Alan is _really_ invested in public health. Which is super awesome, because he's going to kill it in the policy arena, but less awesome because he's not qualified to yet."

 

Alan put his head down on the table and sighed, "Three more years..."

 

"PhD program?" Keith asked.

 

The look on Alan's face was a miserable one as he nodded in the affirmative. 

 

"Dude, you look like you're about to keel over," Lance said, pouring him a glass and handing it to him. 

 

Alan sat up and took it gratefully, giving Pidge the side-eye. "So, what were you guys talking about so fervently at the bar? You looked pissed." 

 

Pidge rolled her eyes and pointed a lazy finger at Keith. "This loser was worried about me. Remember Drew? The guy I told you I dated before I came out?" She asked. Alan nodded. "Well, Keith was worried I was trying to date you and we'd have a repeat of that." 

 

Alan's eyes widened as he whirled to look at Keith. "No way, dude, this is definitely not anywhere close dating."

 

Pidge nodded and made a face at Keith. "See. I told you!" She exclaimed, high-fiving Alan. "We just play video games until ungodly hours and ignore our responsibilities. Also, he looks good in pictures with me.”

 

Alan rolled his eyes and put his chin in his hand, directing his question to the couple in front of him. "So, you guys are engaged now, right?" 

 

Lance grinned and Keith gave Pidge a Look. 

 

"Yes indeed!" Lance sang, grabbing Keith by the waist and squeezing. "Pidge told you?"

 

"Um yeah, she called me and couldn't stop screaming. Mind you, this was midnight this past Saturday." 

 

"Okay, Al, you know how excited I get when my children are involved," Pidge said, pursing her lips, "How was I supposed to know that was your one night of sleep?" 

 

"Pidge, you know Saturday is my comatose day."

 

"Okay, well, I got too excited and forgot, then."

 

Keith interjected, "Anyway, Pidge, we're planning on making the engagement party happen this Saturday. Want to help? Alan, you're welcome to come to the party, too." 

 

"Oh, well, that's kind of you to offer, but— “Alan began.

 

"—but seeing as Pidge will be _super_ bored because everyone else will have someone hanging on them, he'll be going," Pidge finished his sentence for him. "And hell yeah, I will be helping."

 

"Sweet!" Lance exclaimed, excitement clearly building. "This is going to be so fun. We're thinking about going out to dinner and then going bowling after." 

 

Pidge pumped her fist into the air. "That's a great idea, oh my _god_. Where will dinner be?"

 

"Altea's, I think, so we'll be dressed nice for bowling, but since when has that been an issue?" Lance replied, looking at Keith. 

 

"Hey, don't look at me—I'll wear anything anywhere," he conceded, leaning back in his chair. "However, I take full credit for the bowling idea." 

 

"I'm already super hype and it's just Wednesday," Pidge said, grinning. The table sat in content silence for a beat before Lance broke it. 

 

"Oh, sweetheart," Lance said, turning to Keith, "I've decided I'm making—"

 

"—Do not tell me..."

 

"—I'm making Alan a part of our family—he is our son now," Lance said, giving Keith a cheesy grin. 

 

Alan looked confused, making Pidge laugh. "This is just something he does. You know you're supposed to consult your spouse first, right?" She said, poking Lance in the shoulder. 

 

"Whaaaat? Keith should know by now I just adopt everyone," Lance replied, raising his eyebrows and gently elbowing Keith.

 

"Lance, you gotta’ stop," Keith said, trying to hold back a smile. "You're scaring the poor guy." 

 

"Actually—this could really work for me." Alan joked, matching Lance's cheesy grin. "Double the dads, double the puns."

 

"He’s witty, too? This guy _belongs_ in the family. Thank you for bringing him out of your cave, Pidge," Lance said, smirking at her. She rolled her eyes and shoved him. 

 

"You nerd, I wasn't holding him hostage or anything. Like I said, we literally just started hanging out, and you guys were busy, so I hadn't gotten to scream about him yet," she said. 

 

"Aw, you'd scream about me? How sweet!" Alan cooed, grabbing Pidge in a chokehold. 

 

"Oh god, you're worse than Lance sometimes!" She groaned, trying to wriggle free. "You know you're the only one I know On the Level™. And these two _never_ condone my poor life choices."

 

"True, what would you do without me?" He said, leaning back in his chair after releasing her. 

 

"Probably binge-read comics alone and rant on the internet." Pidge admitted, shrugging. "Not like I do anything different now—there's just another body in the room I can commiserate with. And show memes to."

 

"Wait. Alan. Are you a meme lord, too?" Lance deadpanned. 

 

"I'm a Meme _Titan_ , my man," Alan replied, dabbing. 

 

Lance's mouth dropped open and he pointed wildly at Alan. "DID YOU SEE THAT?! HE IS MY TRUE SON AND HEIR." 

 

Keith laughed, playfully shoving Lance. "You're so easily impressed. Although, if he truly loves memes as much as he says he does, he will most _definitely_ be accepted into our family as Pidge’s sibling."

 

"Because Matt's lame and isn't as into memes as we are, and therefore easily replaced," she agreed.  

 

"So Saturday, you're in? We can text you the details later on—we still have to make reservations," Keith said, steering the conversation back to the party. 

 

"Absolutely," Pidge confirmed, "I'll be there, and Alan will be trussed up and ready to party."

 

The group laughed and settled into a comfortable conversation. After a couple of hours, Lance and Keith left to go take care of Mulder, hand in hand. 

 

"I like him," Lance said, looking at Keith with a raised eyebrow. "What do you think? You've known her longer."

 

"She seems really happy to have someone who gets her. We're close, sure, but I remember her being frustrated for a while not having any friends who really understood what she was going through. I felt bad, but neither of us can help who we are."

 

"I can see that. I think he balances her out, too. Yours and Pidge's personalities are so similar, it's crazy. But Alan's really chill. She needs a chill friend in her life. We're all pretty extra," Lance replied, adjusting his grip on Keith's hand. 

 

"I know, and she's definitely the happiest when she's got a solid group of friends. She's been that way forever. But since we're getting married and Hunk's busy with school and is dating Shay, we won't be able to hang out as much as we used to...and...she needs to have that support system," Keith agreed. "I approve. Also—he's so adorable??" 

 

"Oh my god, he's a chicken nugget. And so smart," Lance said, laughing. "I'm kind of bummed we hadn't heard her scream about him yet."

 

"Can you imagine though? 'GUYS I FOUND MY CLONE HIS NAME IS ALAN AND HE LIKES VIDEO GAMES AND IS A HUGE NERD AND IS AROACE TOO YOU HAVE TO MEET HIM,'" Keith said, imitating Pidge. "Exactly how that would happen."

 

"She would never believe us if we said it to her face, but deep down, she’s a sweetheart," Lance said.  

 

"I agree. She's salty as all get-out, but has everyone's back if they need it," Keith replied. "We can never tell her, though. She would probably tackle us to the ground and hog-tie us." 

 

Lance laughed. "True. But we love her. In other news, Saturday is going to be awesome."

 

“Heck yeah, it will,” Keith replied, grinning, and the two continued to stroll down the street to their apartment. 

 

***

 

Lance had already made arrangements with Pidge and the restaurant about decorations, and Keith was receiving RSVP emails nonstop for two days straight. 

 

"So wait, how many people are coming?" Lance asked. 

 

"Ummm..." Keith squinted at his laptop screen, "Twenty-ish people?"

 

"That’s including my immediate family, friends, and your parents, right?" Lance replied, sorting through mail at their counter. 

 

"Yeah," Keith said, leaning back into the couch. 

 

"Okay, that's manageable. But only the fam is coming to bowling, yes?"

 

Keith nodded, distracted by an email from work. 

 

"Sweetheart, I can't hear you nod your head—you know that," Lance said, chuckling. 

 

Keith smiled and confirmed the invitees to the bowling alley would just include their immediate group of friends. 

 

"Okay, so we just have 36 hours until it is party time! Are you excited?" Lance slipped off the barstool and snuck his arms around Keith's neck. He felt a gentle kiss placed on his forearm and smiled. 

 

"Yes, I'm very excited," Keith replied, turning to look Lance in the face. "I'm more excited about what's happening in a year, though." 

 

"Do we have to wait a whole year? Can't we just...elope or something?" Lance whined, flopping down into the couch beside Keith. Laying his head in Keith's lap, he reached up to play with his hair. “It would be so much easier.”

 

"No, we can't just _elope_ —your family would kill me. And yes, we have to wait a year so everyone can make arrangements and actually attend. Your whole family will want to come, and you know how hard it is to get international flights for that many people at once," Keith said, leaning down to kiss Lance's nose. "If it makes you feel any better, though, I don't want to wait that long either."

 

Lance smiled and said, "It makes me feel a little better. You know what would make me feel even better, though?"

 

Keith feigned innocence. "What?"

 

"You kissing me again," Lance said, giggling. 

 

"Dork." Keith grinned and leaned down to oblige his fiancé. 

 

"You love me," Lance said, taking Keith's face in his hands and kissing him. 

 

After a few moments, the two were startled by an alert from Lance's phone. He groaned and grabbed for it, glaring at the caller ID. "Oh it's Pidge, be right back," he said, jumping up from the couch, leaving Keith mildly disappointed. 

 

Keith reached for his own phone to see a text from Shiro. 

 

\-----

** Takashi Brogane **

 

>hey what are you doing right now

\-----

 

Keith stared at the message, confusion growing. 

 

\-----

** Takashi Brogane **

 

_< nothing rn, why?_

>Allura's out for the night and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. 

_< really?_

>why wouldn't I? Besides, I'm sure I have lots of married wisdom to impart to you 

\------

 

Keith groaned, realizing Shiro's true intent. He begrudgingly replied that he'd be over at 7, and sat up, waiting for Lance to return. 

 

After a few minutes, Lance bounded back into the living room and jumped onto the couch beside Keith. "Miss me?" He said, planting a smooch on Keith's cheek. "What's up?" He asked when Keith didn’t respond; a look of concern crossed his face. 

 

Keith sighed. "Shiro wants to give me the 'marriage talk' tonight."

 

Lance made a face. "Now? But the wedding is a year away."

 

Keith shook his head. "I have no idea what he's up to, but apparently Allura's out and he wants to spend time together."

 

"Well," Lance said, "you don't see him that often anymore, now that he's running that Veterans’ Aid program in addition to the gym. Maybe this will be good for you?"

 

"I guess," Keith said, sighing. "Our situation is just so _different_ from his and Allura's. He got married right after leaving the military, and he's pretty much known she was the one since they met in college. Plus, they didn't wait years to pop the question."

 

Lance’s eyes widened. "Wait, do you think that us waiting so long was a bad thing? Keith, I knew I wanted this to be for keeps when we moved in together—I just didn't want to rush things, since we both were working on getting settled into our jobs. This wasn't a rash decision. The timing just wasn’t right before," Lance said, putting a hand on Keith's arm. "Just because we waited for so long doesn’t mean our relationship is weak." 

 

Keith sighed and covered Lance’s hand with his. “Deep down I know you’re right, but I can’t help but feel like we could have gotten this started sooner if I had paid more attention. I let my own issues fuck everything up.”

 

Lance looked surprised, then concerned. “Wait…Keith, do you feel _bad_ because you hadn’t told me what you loved about me before last Saturday?”

 

When Keith wouldn’t meet his eyes, Lance sighed. “Keith, _please_ don’t feel bad about that. I never was a good communicator either. I should have asked outright or recognized that you were showing your love for me in different ways. We’re different people—we express ourselves differently. I’m more verbal about how I feel, and you prefer to _show_ it, rather than say it. I shouldn’t have expected you to express yourself the same way I do—that was unfair of me.”

 

Keith stared at the floor for a moment, then buried his face in his hands. “I still should have told you sooner. I should have known that you needed me to communicate that to you. I had no idea. I feel like a moron because I couldn’t even tell that was something you needed,” he said, trying to keep his voice level.

 

Lance reached up and took his hands from his face, guiding his chin so Keith would meet his eyes. “Keith.” He looked away. “Look at me,” Lance urged.

 

When Keith met his eyes, Lance leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. They sat there for a moment, quiet, as Lance tried to impart that he wasn’t upset, and it wasn’t anybody's fault. When they parted, he waited for Keith to speak.

 

“Okay,” Keith said with a sigh. “Okay. Let’s just…move forward from this?” His shoulders relaxed as Lance wrapped him in a hug.

 

“Of course,” Lance replied, giving Keith a small smile. “What matters now is that we have a party to prepare for!”

 

***

 

Later that evening, Keith drove to Shiro’s house to have brotherly bonding time. His stomach was in knots as he walked to the door, hesitating before he knocked. The door suddenly swung open, surprising him; Shiro stood in front of him, covered in flour, in an apron with cats on it. He had a desperate look on his face and his bangs were pushed back with a headband.

 

“Wow, what happened to you?” Keith asked, stepping over the threshold.

  
  
“I thought I would make some pasta, but I’m pretty sure it turned out bad…” Shiro said as Keith took his shoes off at the door.

 

“It smells like it,” Keith replied, chuckling at the mess his brother had made in the kitchen. “You really shouldn’t be allowed in here unsupervised, you know. I'm surprised you didn't burn anything down yet.”

 

Shiro groaned, “I know, but Allura suggested I try to _make_ something for once, rather than eat out, and this seemed...easy."

 

“Did you let them rest before rolling them out like you’re supposed to?” Keith asked, taking the tongs on the counter, and fishing out what looked like a pale worm from the pot.

 

“No…Wait, I was supposed to do that?!” Shiro exclaimed, slapping his forehead with his hand. “Man, I really _shouldn’t_ be allowed in here.”

 

“I think they’re salvageable, hold on,” Keith replied, laughing, as he poked a noodle he’d placed on the counter. “You should drain them and pan-fry them to get the extra water out. We can probably turn this into a vegetable stir-fry or something.”

 

Shiro placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder and followed it with his forehead. “Thank you. I don’t know how I never learned to cook—when did Mom teach you?”

 

Keith scoffed. “What? Dude, I learned all this in college from Lance and Hunk. How else do you think I survived?” He raised an eyebrow, looking down at his brother, who was practically doubled over so he could rest his head on Keith’s shoulder.

 

“Oh, I guess I assumed you’d subsisted on ramen and Chef Boyardee,” Shiro said, laughing. “I can imagine your emo ass holed up in your dorm room, huddled in a corner with your food.”

 

“That’s basically what happened,” Keith said, laughing. The two chatted, catching up, as Keith rescued what was left of their dinner. It turned out to be surprisingly good.

 

“So, how’s the gym doing?” Keith asked, picking at his food. “I heard you got sponsorship to expand your rehab program.”

 

Shiro’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Allura made a connection that really helped us out. Now we can hire physical therapists to come to the gym every so often and help the people who come there.”

 

Keith looked up from his plate. “You ever think about trying to open a clinic?”

 

“I’ve thrown around the idea with Allura, and she isn’t against it—there’s just a lot of paperwork that has to be done,” Shiro responded, stabbing a piece of broccoli with his fork. “It’s easier to run it as a gym, you know?”

 

Keith nodded. He could feel the conversation’s mood changing and he braced himself for the inevitable.

 

“So, you and Lance are getting married.”

 

Keith panicked inwardly as he nodded. “Yep.”

 

“Are you excited? We didn’t really get to talk much after the fact,” Shiro continued, staring at him.

 

“I’m very excited. Bummed that we have to wait a year, but it makes sense. It’s really important to his family that they all be able to make it,” Keith replied, not meeting his eyes.

 

“So, what are you so worried about?” Shiro prodded. _There it is,_ Keith thought.

 

“I’m not worried about anything. We’ve already started coming up with ideas, and in a few months, we’ll start the planning. Lance is really good with that kind of stuff,” Keith said, trying to change the subject. “He’s been planning the engagement party, and I think it’s going to be awesome.”

 

Shiro raised his eyebrows. “That’s great and all, but you’re evading.”

 

“Shiro, I don’t know what you want me to say. That I _am_ worried? That I feel bad for being a bad boyfriend and being oblivious to Lance’s needs? What?” Keith said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. He was frustrated; he’d already gone over this with Lance earlier and didn’t want to rehash everything all over again.

 

“You haven’t talked to me at _all_. What am I supposed to think? Everything is peachy?” Shiro retorted, refusing to let it go.

 

“He and I already had a stressful enough conversation about it earlier—I’d really appreciate it if I didn’t have to relive it right now,” Keith said, trying to calm himself down. “Please, if you have actual advice, I’m willing to hear it, but I don’t want to talk about what happened between me and Lance right now.”

 

“Okay, fair enough,” Shiro acquiesced. “I’m sorry for pushing the issue. I was just worried, and you hadn’t talked to me about it at all. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” He sighed. “I do actually want to give you some advice.”

 

“Okay, shoot,” Keith said, gesturing for Shiro to continue.

 

“You know that Allura and I are both very headstrong—I’m sure you and Lance can relate,” Shiro said, and Keith nodded. “We had a tendency to unwittingly work against each other at first, rather than work together. Especially when running the business. A lot of arguments would stem from one of us thinking we were doing a task more efficiently than the other. It didn’t matter what it was. I think we’d forgotten that we were a team, rather than two people occupying the same space.”

 

That made sense, but Keith didn’t really get it; he’d been living with Lance for two years already, and they hadn’t had any big problems with butting heads.

  
“I’m sure you’re thinking ‘Why does this apply to me?’ right now—don’t worry, there’s a point. You tend get so wrapped up in _how_ things should be done, that you miss what _needs_ to be done. Unlike Lance, you get wrapped up in the minutiae. That can be frustrating for both of you—Lance wants to look at the big picture and tackle the problem from there, while you look at each piece individually and stay in the ‘here and now’. That’s why you work so well as a team. You balance each other out.” Shiro paused, allowing Keith to absorb the information.

 

He continued, “Unfortunately, it can also lead to problems later on. I know you’ve been living together for a couple of years, but you haven’t experienced enough life together to really understand how you both deal with major milestones. You haven’t bought a house together, or a car, or had a death in the family—and those are just a few things that can really put strain on a marriage. How you choose to handle it can make or break you.”

 

“When Allura’s father died, she tried to stuff her emotions inside—she just wanted life to return to normal as quickly as possible. Even though it wasn’t the healthiest response, she chose to keep it bottled up instead of confiding in someone. It didn’t even have to be me—just anyone. It put a lot of pressure on our relationship—we fought a lot when that happened—but eventually, she started talking to me about it and we worked through it,” Shiro said, smiling at his brother. “I’m really happy for you. I’m sure you already know most of the stuff I said, but I wanted to say it just in case you hadn’t.”

 

Keith had been staring into his water glass for a solid five minutes, reflecting on his relationship. Shiro was right; they hadn’t been through those kinds of things yet. He made a mental note to relay what Shiro had said when he got home.

 

“Thanks, Shiro,” Keith said, looking up. “I hadn’t really thought of that.”

 

Shiro reached over and ruffled his hair, chuckling. “That’s what big bros are for!”

 

“You sounded so much like Dad during your speech, though,” Keith said, holding back a laugh.

 

“That’s what I was going for. I’m practicing my lecturing for the future,” Shiro said, grinning. “Have you two had the ‘kids talk’ yet?” He asked.

 

Keith’s eyes widened. “Oh crap. I’m gonna have to have that conversation with him, aren’t I.”

 

Shiro nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Have you thought about it?”

 

Keith shook his head. “Honestly, I’m just trying to focus on the wedding. Once that’s over, we can think about other stuff.”

 

Shiro shrugged noncommittally and said, “Fair enough.”

 

***

After doing the dishes, the two decided to watch a movie. Halfway through, Keith started to doze off, but was woken up by a text message asking when he’d be home. He looked at the time and rubbed his face. “Hey, I gotta go. Lance is wondering why I’m not back yet, and I really want to sleep in my own bed tonight.” Silence.

 

He looked down and saw that Shiro had passed out, prostrate on the floor. “Shiro,” he said, nudging him with his foot. “Go take your prosthetic off.” Shiro grumbled something about not being told what to do, groggy as he got off the floor and trudged down the hall to his room. Keith chuckled and grabbed his things, leaving and locking the door with his spare key. Thankfully the ride home was a short one, and he soon found himself falling face-first onto his bed.

 

“Keith,” Lance said, tugging on Keith’s arm. “You gotta wash your face and brush your teeth. You know you get headaches without your night guard.” He had to practically shove Keith off the bed to wake him up just enough to do his nightly routine.

 

“Why can’t you just let me sleep like a _normal_ fiancé,” Keith whined, savagely jabbing his toothbrush in his mouth.

 

Lance shot him an angry look. “Because you’ll complain to me all day tomorrow, that’s why. And you never take painkillers like I tell you to, so your headache doesn’t get any better,” Lance grumbled, patting his face with a towel. “I love you too much to watch you suffer.”

 

“No, you just don’t like it when I whine all day,” Keith said around his toothbrush before finishing up and sticking his night guard in. “Okay, thatithfied?”

 

Lance looked him up and down, visibly agitated. “Yeah, I guess. You _could_ listen to me every once in a while.”

 

“I’m too tired to fight with you right now, Lance,” Keith sighed, fighting back a yawn. “I’m sorry I kept you up.”

 

Lance brushed past him to the bedroom and slipped under the covers. Keith changed before cautiously climbing in to join him. The two lay there in silence, feeling like all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. Keith felt bad about being uncooperative, but he just wanted to be left to sleep in peace. He always appreciated the results of Lance’s insistence when he woke up the next morning, but that didn’t make it any less annoying in the moment.

 

Lance rolled over onto his side, back facing Keith, and set his jaw, lips forming a fine line. He knew they both were picking at each other because they were tired, but he didn’t want to be the one to break the silence. He still felt the sting from Keith’s comment. _Why can’t you just be a normal fiancé_. Lance rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, refusing to look over at his fiancé. Keith didn’t mean it; Lance knew that. But he tended to latch onto comments like those and let them fester, and there had been something brewing for a while.  

 

“Lance?”

 

Silence.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Keith heard Lance’s heavy sigh, and tentatively reached out to touch his arm.

 

When Lance didn’t pull away, he took that as a good sign. He said softly, “I’m tired, you’re tired, and we both have work and last-minute planning to do tomorrow. I know you’re upset with me, and I don’t blame you, but I hope you can forgive me.”

 

Lance silently slid his hand over Keith’s and pulled it around him. It was a compromise. Keith kissed him on the shoulder and settled into sleep.

 

Lance stayed awake for a while, staring a hole in the wall and listening to Keith breathe. He had an issue. He knew he had to work on it. The grudge matches had to stop. He shifted, curling up in a ball. _Why is this so difficult?_ was his last thought before drifting off to sleep.

 

***

 

Lance tried his best to keep his insecurities at bay, but the evening before the engagement party, the arguing just got worse.

 

“Why are you yelling at me?” Keith said, getting angry. “Why are you being so weird? What happened? Did I do something wrong?”

 

“I don’t know, I’m just mad, okay? I’m mad that you don’t listen to me _ever_ , even about little things, and I’m tired of it right now!” Lance shouted, angrily putting silverware into the dishwasher.

 

“Wha…What are you talking about? Since _when_ do I never listen to you? I listen all the time! You _never shut up_!” Keith shouted back. He instantly regretted what he said and tried to backpedal as quickly as he could when he saw the look on Lance’s face. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that…”

 

Lance just stared at him, stiffened, and walked toward the door, grabbing his keys on the way.

 

“Lance, please, I’m sorry,” Keith said, reaching for him. “You know I just say shit when I get frustrated—come on, don’t leave…”

 

“Please let me have some space, Keith,” Lance responded, jaw tightening as he evaded Keith’s grip. “The shouting needs to stop.”

 

He stormed out the door, slamming it in Keith’s face behind him. Keith sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. _There I go again, ruining relationships because I can’t keep my fucking mouth shut,_ he thought. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know who he could _talk_ to. He’d talk to Hunk, but there was a pretty good chance that Lance was halfway to his apartment by now. Shiro would only give him a lecture, and Allura was usually Lance’s other go-to. _Pidge,_ he thought, pulling out his phone. When he told her Lance had walked out, she said she would head there immediately. Keith was still on the floor when she burst in.

 

“Keith, what _happened_?” She asked, kneeling next to him.

 

Keith sat, stone-faced, and shrugged. “Who the fuck knows? I never know what’s going to set him off.”

 

“That’s unfair, and you know it,” Pidge said, frowning. “Was he mad last night?”

 

“He was mad at me because I don’t take care of myself like I should. I know he just wants to help me, but I’m not a kid. I was doing just fine before we got together—why should I change because he’s so uptight about it?”

 

“Keith, that’s not the point. You know he cares about you, and your opinion carries a lot of weight in his life, whether you mean for it to or not. I’m sure you hurt his feelings,” Pidge replied, putting her hand on Keith’s arm. “Did he say anything specific about it?”

 

Keith shook his head. “I apologized, though. He didn’t answer, but he let me put my arm around him. I assume that was his way of compromising.”

 

“Keith, you _know_ him. You know the comments he remembers most vividly are the negative ones. Are you _sure_ you didn’t say anything else to him? I’m just trying to figure out where all of this is coming from,” Pidge replied.

 

Keith sat for a moment, until it dawned on him. “Oh shit,” Keith said. “I asked him why he couldn’t be like a normal fiancé and let me sleep. I must have been so tired that it slipped out unintentionally.”

 

“Wow, well that’s a really shitty thing to say to your future spouse. Way to go, dumbass,” she replied unmercifully. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed, “You understand that you’re the one at fault here, right?”

 

Keith buried his face in his hands again. “How am I going to fix this? We were both so excited and then _this_ bullshit shows up.”

 

“You’re going to have to talk to him when he’s ready to talk to you. Give him space. And just be prepared—he may not come home tonight.”

 

“I know,” Keith said, choking back a sob. “I’m an idiot.”

 

Pidge wrapped him in a hug and kissed his forehead. “It’s okay. You both will work through it. You always have.”

 

***

 

“Can you _believe_ that?!” Lance yelled, stomping around Hunk’s living room. “He has the _nerve_ to say that I never shut up, when I was literally _holding sharp objects in my hands_?”

 

Hunk sat on the couch, hugging a pillow and nodding sympathetically.

 

“What is his _deal_? He can be such an IDIOT sometimes!” he shouted, looking around for something to throw. Hunk offered him a pillow, and he slammed it into the ground. “Sometimes, I can’t believe that I’m stuck with him.”

 

“You know you don’t mean that, Lance,” Hunk said.

 

“ _You know you don’t mean that_ ,” Lance mocked. “Of course, I don’t mean that! I love him more than anything! But sometimes,” he stomped on the pillow, “I just want to,” _stomp_ , “punch him in his stupid face!”

 

“Whoa, take it easy on the pillows—Shay is gonna kill me,” Hunk said with a worried expression. “You have _got_ to sit down and talk to him about this. You just got engaged to him, for Pete’s sake.”

 

“I know.”

 

“But…” Hunk looked at the pillow Lance had now flattened, “I definitely think you should cool off for a little while first before having this discussion with him. If not, he may end up like the pillow you just mangled.”

 

Lance took a deep breath and sunk into the couch next to his best friend. “Remember when we first met him? He looked so awkward and emo, practically hiding behind Pidge.”

 

“If I remember correctly, you overwhelmed him quite a bit.”

 

Lance huffed out a short laugh, “Yeah. Who would have thought that he would fall head over heels for me?”

 

Hunk’s spirits lifted. Lance reminiscing was a good indicator that he was calming down. “Pidge definitely had no doubt that it was going to happen,” Hunk said with a chuckle. “But we weren’t as confident. I’m glad that it did work out, though. I know how much you two mean to each other.”

 

Lance fell eerily silent, staring into space. Hunk watched him and waited for a response. Lance’s voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke.

 

“Hunk, do you think we’ll make it?”

 

Hunk looked over at his distraught friend and sighed. “Of course, I do. This is just means that you two still need to work on stuff. You know he loves you, Lance. I’m sure if you both talked it out, he would see that what he said hurt you.” Hunk put a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “You know he’s oblivious. He wouldn’t hurt you on purpose—just tell him how you feel and he will understand.”

 

Lance snuggled up next to him, tucking his head in the crook of Hunk’s neck. “Thanks, man. I’m sorry I freaked out. I guess I bottled it up for too long and finally lost it.”

 

Hunk patted his arm consolingly. “It’s okay. It happens to the best of us.”

 

Lance looked at his phone and noticed it was getting late. He bit his lip, unsure whether he should head home or not. He noticed he had an unread text from Pidge; once he read it, he scrambled to get off the couch. Bumping into things left and right, he finally got his feet under him and grabbed his belongings. “Hunk, I…I gotta go. Thanks for being there,” he said, halfway out the door.

 

“No problem, bud. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  
The door closed behind him, and Lance hurried to his car. He looked back down at the text from Pidge.

 

\-----

** Pidgeridoo **

**_> Hey. You should come home._ **

\-----

***

 

Lance burst into the apartment, kicking off his shoes at the door. He looked around desperately, only to lock eyes with Pidge. She was sitting on their couch, knees tucked up to her chest, holding her phone in a loose grip over one knee. “Hey,” she croaked.

 

“Where is he?” Lance asked quietly.

 

Pidge gestured toward their bedroom with a flick of her head, and got up, stretching. “I’m leaving. He’s really sorry, Lance. He loves you so much.”

 

Lance looked at her, unable to keep the pain out of his eyes. “I know.”

 

She nodded, threw her jacket over her shoulder, and walked out the door. Lance locked it behind her and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He braced himself for the inevitable fallout, and headed to the dark bedroom.

 

He opened the already-cracked door a little wilder, casting a sliver of light onto a lump tangled in sheets that was slowly rising and falling. He held his breath as he stepped in, closing the door behind him with a _click_. He turned on the dresser lamp, which cast a soft glow around the room. The lump stirred, and a sleepy Keith sat upright, rubbing his eyes.

 

“Lance?”

 

Lance released the air he had been holding in with a _whoosh_. “Hey,” he said quietly.

 

‘Why are you here? I thought you would just stay at Hunk’s for the night…” Keith said, clearly thrown off by his fiancé’s return to the apartment.

 

“Something told me I should come back and talk this out,” he replied, taking a step toward the bed. “May I sit?”

 

Keith scrambled toward the wall, making room. “Of course, why wouldn’t you be able to?”

 

Lance looked down at his hands, twisting his delicate fingers. “I…I wasn’t sure you’d be interested in dealing with me today. You still don’t have to—I just didn’t feel quite right leaving this unresolved.”

 

Readjusting to sit a little straighter, Keith took one of Lance’s hands in his and gently tugged, guiding him to sit on the bed. “Lance, I am so sorry. I had no idea, and I have no excuse. I said some very cruel things to you within the last few days, and I am very, very sorry. Please forgive me.”

 

Lance returned his gaze to his hands, now resting in his lap. “I forgive you, Keith. I love you. Neither of us are perfect. We complement each other, but we’re still different. It’s my fault…I should have told you what I was feeling sooner. I had been bottling it up for a while and today it just…burst out,” he said.

 

Keith’s eyes widened. “What? You’d been feeling this way for a _while_?” He asked. “Why didn’t you say anything? You know you can _always_ confide in me.”

 

Lance sighed. “I know. I just didn’t want to upset you, especially so soon after the engagement. But the inklings started not too long ago. I knew I didn’t need to be so sensitive about it, but then…you compared me to what a ‘ _good fiancé’_ should be. It hit a nerve. I’ve spent most of my life being talked over and compared with my siblings—I just never expected to hear it from you...and when you said that, I... It hurt.” 

 

Keith was shocked. “Is there something else?” He asked. “You can tell me—I promise I won’t get mad.”

 

Lance was silent for a moment, then looked Keith in the eyes. “You know I love you, right? No matter what?” 

 

Keith was a caught off guard and a little offended that Lance would even feel the need to ask. “Lance, of course I do. Why are you asking me that?”

 

Lance’s shoulders sunk, just _barely_ , but Keith noticed the change and started to get nervous. “You know how insecure I am, and you’ve been really patient with me—I appreciate that more than you know. But…I just can’t help feeling like you think I’m nagging you all the time. And honestly? You don’t really help much by just saying whatever mean shit comes to mind.” He tucked his knees up to his chest. “It is _killing_ me to even bring this up, but if we’re going to literally commit our _lives_ to each other? We must figure out a better way to do this, because I don’t want to yell anymore. I can’t. I know bickering is a part of life, but damn, _tone it down_. I’m not a fucking scratching post.”

 

All Keith could manage was to sit there in stunned silence. After a moment, he finally forced himself to speak. “You didn’t think to tell me that sooner?” he asked. His voice was strained, like he was struggling to keep his composure. “Why would you wait until _now,_ of all times, to bring it up?”

 

Lance turned his attention to the wall, refusing to look at his partner as his eyes began to fill with tears. “It didn’t come up until now.”

 

“And that’s a— “Keith stopped, feeling himself start to get angry. He took a deep breath, then started again. “If that’s how you feel…Okay. I’m sorry I hurt you—I really am.”

 

Lance whipped his head around to look at him, both surprised and grateful Keith had internalized his words. “Thank you,” he whispered.

 

Keith couldn’t look at him. He never dreamed that Lance had been bottling everything up for so long; that _he’d_ been the source of so much frustration. He reached out an apprehensive hand—hoping he could somehow fix what he had broken—and Lance took it, allowing himself to be pulled into a hug.

 

Keith gently placed a hand on the back of Lance’s neck, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Please forgive me,” he said, burying his head into Lance’s shoulder. “You deserve better. More. I should have been more self-aware.”

 

Lance shook his head. “Of course, I’ll always forgive you. We just need to listen to each other. Think of it as something we can work on as a team,” he whispered back, sniffing.

 

“I have a feeling we’ll be having a few more discussions like this in the future,” Keith said, quietly chuckling.

 

Lance pulled back and gave him a watery smile, “Then we’ll work through it. We always do, and we always will.” His smile widened as Keith pulled him in for a soft, love-filled kiss. Lance felt his entire body relax into Keith’s and their embrace only tightened as the kiss continued. They climbed under the covers, foreheads pressed together, and the two of them fell asleep with the light on —tired out from the events of the day—snoring softly.

 

***

 

Lance woke up early and noticed the room was not only dark, but he was tucked under their coverlet. Instinctively, he reached over his shoulder, but found himself grasping at air. _Hm…No Keith,_ he thought. Lance slipped out of bed and padded toward the dim light coming from their living room. He saw Keith perched on the couch with a book in his hand and a mug next to him. Lance took a moment to gaze at him, staying hidden in the shadows of the hallway. He still felt the residual nausea from their fight the night before, but was grateful that Keith was receptive and understanding.

 

He stepped into the living room, illuminated by the soft glow of the side table lamp, and Keith looked up at him. A soft smile broke over Keith’s features when he saw Lance’s hair sticking up on the side.

 

“Good morning, sunshine,” Keith said, marking his page and standing up. “How did you sleep?”

 

Lance reached out to him as he walked forward, and they clasped each other’s hands. “I slept okay. I’m sure I look like I just woke from the dead. My eyes feel kind of puffy.” Keith pulled him closer and pressed his lips to Lance’s cheek.

 

“You do, but that’s fine. You’re still as cute as ever,” he said, smiling. Lance felt his insides go squishy as a blush crept over his cheeks. Keith chuckled and slid his hands around Lance’s waist, body warm and smelling of coffee. “You ready for today?” He asked quietly.

 

Lance nodded, then sighed. Keith pulled back to look at him, concerned, and Lance shook his head. “I’m sorry—I’m still exhausted from last night. It took a lot out of me, you know?”

 

Keith nodded, eyes wide with worry, and slipped from Lance’s embrace. “You don’t have to be up this early, you know. It _is_ Saturday. Go back to sleep if you need to.”

 

Lance tilted his head and met Keith’s gaze. “You’re welcome to join me…If you want.” He chided himself when he heard the trepidation that laced his voice. He still felt the need to tack on a caveat, even after four years of dating, two years of living together; getting _engaged_. Keith wasn’t some monster that would snap at any moment, and it was wrong of him to treat him that way. As Keith opened his mouth to respond, Lance corrected himself, “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I _meant_ to say—very seductively, I might add— _‘You’re welcome to join me’,_ followed up with a sexy wink.” To prove his point, he winked as suggestively as he could. He probably looked more like he was trying to remove something that was stuck in his eye, but Lance just rolled with it.

 

Keith’s anxious expression was broken with a wide smile, bringing Lance a sense of relief. “You sure you don’t have an eyelash in your eye? I don’t think you’ve quite mastered the ‘ _come hither’_ look yet,” Keith said, leaning in closer to inspect him. Keith’s laugh was one of the most adorable things about him, in Lance’s humble (and correct) opinion, and it always put him at ease.

 

“I take offense to that!” Lance gave him a playful shove, rolling his eyes before taking a step toward the hallway. He felt fingers encircle his thin wrist, prompting him to look back. Keith looked almost bashful as he asked, “Is your offer still open, though?”

 

Lance grinned and tugged them both along, giggling; instantly, the mood had lightened, and his unease from before faded. “What do _you_ think?” He asked, looking over his shoulder with his best rendition of a “come and get it” look. Keith’s face turned crimson, and Lance’s grin widened. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” he said, stopping to kiss all over Keith’s face. Smooshing Keith’s face between his hands, his face contorted as he remarked, “Dude you’re really hot right now, though, are you okay?”

 

He felt instant regret. Keith gave him a look that made his knees weak, and he needed to brace himself with the wall. Keith laughed as Lance slid down to the floor dramatically, swooning. Stepping over him, Keith disappeared into their room. “Are you coming?” He asked, voice echoing into the hallway.

 

“Yep,” Lance’s voice cracked, “I am definitely going to be there in one second. If you could give me a moment, I would like to collect myself.”

 

Keith stuck his head out the doorway and peered at Lance, who was now splayed on the ground with his hands over his face. “You killed me, I’m dead, cancel the party, you’re too hot for me,” Lance babbled, and Keith scooped him up from the floor.

  
“You’re such a drama queen,” he said, chuckling and carrying him into the bedroom. He closed the door behind him with his foot. A _whump,_ followed by a shout of indignation and laugher, resonated in their quiet apartment, illuminated by a solitary lamp.

 

***

 

“Honey, you need to hurry up—we’re going to be late _for our own party_ ,” Keith huffed, tapping his foot impatiently and compulsively checking his watch.

 

Lance stuck his head out of the bathroom, hair wrapped in a towel. “You realize that the party can’t start _without_ us, right? It starts when we get there.”

 

“I’m pretty sure that is _not_ how this works, but okay.”

 

Keith sat down heavily on the couch and scrolled through the frantic messages from Pidge.

 

** K Holt **

 

**> _You guys are going to be late._**

**_> Is lance still in the shower _ **

**_> Kick him out if you have to, I can only hold his family off for so long_ **

**_> Oh shit his mom is coming over to me HELP ME _ **

**_> Why is his family so fucking punctual???????????_ **

**_> why did you rope me into this again_ **

**_> I hate you and your asshole fiancé_ **

**_> just kidding but gOD _ **

**_>???????????_ **

_< Dude chill_

_< we’ll be there soon_

_< I hope_

_< he had a towel wrapped around his head so_

_< do with that what you will_

**_> ty god at least Al is social _ **

**_> watch out though because I think he may get adopted for real_ **

Keith sighed, too frustrated to appreciate the hilarious mental image of Alan being bodily dragged off by Lance’s family. He had just resisted the urge to bang his head on the coffee table when Lance emerged in all his glory, hair styled and skin glowing (of-fucking- _course_ ).

 

“Y’done?” Keith asked, eyebrows knitted together as he frowned.

 

“Geez, yeah, I’m ready. Take a chill pill.” He tugged at his sleeves to roll them halfway up his arms. “Are you driving?”

 

“I guess so,” Keith said, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. _This is just a party, for us. It’s not like it’s the wedding or anything, and they at least have some time to chat with each other before we get there,_ he thought, grabbing his keys. The two men swept out of the apartment, Keith having to push an angry Mulder away from the doorway with his foot, and headed to the restaurant.

**“** Lance! Keith!” Pidge shouted, weaving between the various family members and college friends that had congregated near the catering tables. “Thank god, you finally made it. Lance, your mother was badgering me for fifteen minutes and Alan got kidnapped by your sister, so you may need to do a little damage control. Keith, your family is over there,” she pointed, and Keith caught his brother’s eye.

  
“Excuse me,” he said, separating from the small group and accepting congratulations from Lance’s older brothers on his trip to the corner of the room. “Hey mom, dad, Shiro, Allura,” he said, giving them a tired smile. “Sorry we took so long.”

 

“I’m assuming Lance took his time getting ready?” Keith’s mother asked, her face lighting up with a knowing smile.

 

“Did he ever. You know he waits until the last second before even _starting_ to get ready. It’d be endearing if we were ever punctual,” Keith replied, rolling his eyes. He shook his fist with determination. “Someday, though, we’ll be on time!” That elicited a chuckle from the group, and the conversation continued.

 

Lance watched his fiancé chat with his own family from afar, and felt his stomach do flip-flops. “Pidge, do I have to talk to these people.”

 

She looked up from her phone. “ _These people_ are mostly your family, and _yes,_ you have to talk to them. They’re here for you, remember?”

 

Lance sighed. He knew that they were his family, but he wasn’t in the mood for prying questions or snarky comments this evening.

 

“ _Lance_ ,” a voice said from his left, and he found himself pivoting into a crushing hug.

 

“Hi, mama,” he croaked as the air left his lungs. “Please let go, you’re killing your favorite son.”

 

His mother released him and gave him her signature Look of Disappointment. He cringed. “I know,” he said petulantly. “It’s rude of me to be late, I inconvenienced everyone, I’m sorry.”

 

“You are twenty-five years old, I would have expected you to have grown out of your bad habits by now,” she said, crossing her arms.

 

“ _Come on_ , ma, are you really mad at me? If it makes you feel any better, Keith is actually good at getting places on time, so I have someone to make sure I’m not _too_ late to things,” he whined, mirroring her stance.

 

His mother sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not mad. Just disappointed.” She couldn’t hide a grin, though, and Lance started to laugh.

 

“Did you just use a meme?” Lance asked, incredulous. “My own mother, uses memes in real life.”

 

His mother started to laugh with him. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

 

After a few moments, Lance remembered what Pidge had told him. “So, I heard Jo kidnapped Pidge’s friend. I think I should go rescue him,” he said, and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

 

She waved him off, and he tried to look over the crowd for his younger sister. He spotted her over by the bar (yikes), hanging on Alan’s every word. Alan, however, looked like he was ready to sprint away at any time. Lance casually slid in between them and leaned up against the counter. “Hey, loser—long time, no see.”

 

“Speak for yourself, jackass,” she replied off-handedly, then did a double-take. “Hey! You’re finally here!” She exclaimed once she realized it was Lance. She pulled him down to her level in an enthusiastic hug

 

“Why does everybody keep saying it like that?” Lance sighed, slinging an arm around Jo’s shoulders. “I see you have met my son, Alan.”

 

“Hey, Lance,” he said. He didn’t do a very good job of hiding his relief at the sight of him.

 

 _Go, go, go_ , Lance mouthed, gesturing with his head to the center of the room. Alan took the hint, excused himself, and disappeared.

 

“Aw,” his sister whined, wistfully watching Alan leave.

 

Lance put her in a head-lock. “Stop hitting on my friends, it’s creepy.”

 

“Stop having cute friends, then!” she argued, pinching him and making him yelp.

 

He stood thoughtfully in front of her, rubbing his injury. “…still not an excuse.” Jo stuck her tongue out in response. “How’s school been?”

 

She rolled her eyes, “School is school. I hate it. We all hate it. But I’m doing well so it could be worse. I can’t wait for June, though.”

 

Lance nodded and crossed his arms over the bar. “Ma was telling me that you found a job for the summer?”

 

Jo’s face lit up. “Yeah! I’m interning with that firm I was telling you about,” she said excitedly. “Hopefully that’ll help me when I look for schools next year.”

 

Lance gave her a high-five and a big smile. “That’s great! You’ll be a lawyer in no time.” Jo returned the expression and turned to mirror his pose at the bar. 

 

“So, where’s your lover?” She asked as the bartender handed him a beer. “Did you two decide to divide and conquer, or what?”

 

“No, actually. He chose to leave me in favor of his family,” Lance said, feigning a faint. Straightening and putting a finger to his lips, he added, “I proooobably should figure out where he went, though.” He stood on tip-toe and surveyed the crowd, searching for a particularly unique mop of dark hair among the guests.

 

“ _Gotcha_ ,” he said to himself, and after giving his sister another hug, headed towards his fiancé. He sauntered up to Keith, who was sitting at a table with Hunk and Shay, and threw his arms around his neck. “Hey.”

 

“Hey, Lance,” Keith replied, patting Lance’s hand with his own. “What’s up.”

 

“Nothin’ much. Thank you both for coming!” Lance said, turning his attention to the friends sitting in front of him. Shay gave him a brilliant smile and Hunk saluted him, making Lance chuckle as he moved to whisper in Keith’s ear.

 

“How are you holding up?” Lance asked. He was fully aware that Keith was not the biggest fan of parties, and was worried about him.

 

Keith turned his head to look at him, flashing him a small smile. “I’m doing okay. Thanks for asking.” He pecked Lance a few times on the lips to make his point, and giggling at the sight of Lance’s face flushing pink.

 

“PDA? Here?” He whisper-shouted, just making Keith laugh harder. “My _mother_ is staring at us now.”

 

That shut Keith up quickly. He glanced over at Lance’s parents, and locked eyes with his future mother-in-law. “Oh. Whoops. Sorry,” he said with a sheepish smile.

 

“We can sneak off before we head out to go bowling, though,” Lance said, and Keith could _hear_ the smirk in his voice. Lance smoothed down the shoulders of Keith’s shirt lovingly as he said in a low voice, “That shirt looks great on you. Who would have thought a color other than black would look so nice?”

 

Keith looked down at his heather gray button-down. “Lance, you realize that I’m still wearing a neutral color, right?”

 

Lance waved a hand absently. “It’s not black, though, so I count that as a win.” He gave Hunk and Shay a look of mild annoyance. “He refuses to wear anything but black or white, unless it’s that _horrible_ jacket he’s had since college. If you ever see him in a real color? That was me. I bought him that.”

 

Shay laughed behind her hand and Hunk looked at Keith as he shook his head. Keith shrugged and took a sip of his drink. “I look better in neutrals.” He leaned up to kiss Lance on the jaw and added, “But you have a great sense of style, so I can’t complain _too_ much.”

 

***

 

The couple decided it was best to stick together for the remainder of the party, walking hand-in-hand as they were bombarded with questions by friend and family member alike. Despite the constant interrogation, they enjoyed themselves, and were grateful that so many people came to support them. As the party began to wind down, they both found themselves doling out hugs, kisses, and high fives to nearly every member of both families. When the majority of the group had dispersed, the two sat down with groans.

  
“Remind me again why we invited so many people?” Keith asked, stretching his arms over his head.

 

Lance twisted, cracking his back and making a face. “Because we have a lot of friends and family to appease. But now we get to go bowling!” Keith thought his excited expression was the best thing he’d seen all day.

 

“Hey, friends,” Pidge said, walking up to the couple. “I think we’re ready to head out soon, if you are. _Bowl-ing, bowl-ing, bowl-ing!”_ She began to chant, alternating arms as she swung them around. Alan walked up behind her and narrowly avoided injury, dodging a swing as he dug his chin into the top of her head.

 

“Hey, how ya’ doin’ buddy?” Pidge asked, not bothering to move.

 

“I feel like someone just stuffed me in a trash can. I’m exhausted,” he groaned, closing his eyes. “Lance, thank you for rescuing me.”

 

Lance saluted him with a wink. “Anything for my favorite son!”

 

“Lance, he’s not your son.”

 

“Oh, hush. Let me have fun,” Lance said with a pout, nudging his fiancé gently. Keith nudged him back, starting a brief scuffle between the two of them.

 

“Guys! Let’s go,” Hunk said, joining the group, arm-in-arm with Shay. “I’m ready to see Lance’s terrible bowling skills in action.”

 

“Hey! I take offense to that. I will have you know that I have been _practicing_.”

 

Keith looked at him with raised eyebrows. “When, exactly, did you do that? You never told me,” he asked.

 

“He and I went after swimming together,” Allura said, walking up with Shiro. “He still isn’t very good, though.” She smiled at Lance sympathetically.

 

Hunk snorted, and Lance brought a hand to his chest. “Et tu, brute?”

 

Allura shrugged, and Lance stole her drink and downed it. “Wait, Lance, that was all alcohol…” she said, giving Shiro a concerned look. Lance’s eye twitched a little, and he croaked, “I’m fine.”

 

Although Keith had to practically drag him, a slightly buzzed Lance finally exited the restaurant and got into the passenger side of the car. He gave Keith a sidelong glance and reached his hand out to run it through Keith’s hair. “Hi,” he said, blinking slowly.

 

“Hi, there. How are you?” Keith asked, smiling. Keith’s hand caressed Lance’s cheek, and a look of content spread across Lance’s face.

 

 “Mmgood,” Lance hummed, leaning into his touch.

 

“You’re such a lightweight.”

 

Lance frowned and narrowed his eyes at Keith. “Am not.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “No? That drink was what, two shots of alcohol? You’re already getting drowsy,” he said, smirking at Lance.

 

“Yeah, and I had a drink before that. I should have thought that through. I’m sleepy now,” Lance sighed, his face inching closer to Keith’s.

 

“You gonna be okay to bowl?” Keith asked.

 

Lance nodded, and Keith kissed him on the nose. “Good.” The bowling alley wasn’t too far, but Lance managed to doze off the minute they started driving. Keith kept stealing glances at him, chuckling to himself as Lance’s head drooped toward the center console. He gently moved him so he would be leaning against the window instead, and decided to take the scenic route.

 

Pidge was standing outside, tapping her foot when they got there. Keith gently nudged Lance, and he woke with a start. “We’re here,” Keith said, running a hand through Lance’s hair. Lance closed his eyes and gave him a dopey smile, prompting Keith to roll his eyes and chuckle.

 

“Hey.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

 

Lance cracked open an eye. “You’re cute.”

 

Keith pursed his lips and gave him an unimpressed look. “Get your butt out of the car.”

 

“You said we could be sneaky and make out, remember?” Lance asked, pouting.

 

Keith looked out the windshield and waved at Pidge to go inside. She took the hint and turned leave, but not without flipping him off first. _That’s fair,_ he thought. He turned to Lance, who was still pouting, and cupped his chin. “You know that look doesn’t work on me anymore,” Keith said, giving Lance a little smile.

 

Lance’s face changed from pouting to mischievous in a split second as he reeled Keith in for a kiss. A murmur of surprise escaped Keith’s lips, making Lance giggle.

 

“You laughing defeats the whole purpose of making out, just saying,” Keith mumbled.

 

Lance grinned. “I know, but you rarely get caught off guard. I’m savoring the moment.” Lance kissed him on the nose, then began unbuckling his seat belt. “Guess we better go inside, now. God knows what they think we’re doing out here.”

 

He looked up at Keith, who was staring at him with pink cheeks. “Babe, you get embarrassed _so_ easily—I was just playing around,” Lance said, leaning over him to open Keith’s door from the inside. When Lance’s hand touched the door handle, he felt himself being tugged upward. A mixture of confusion and giddiness swirled in his brain as Keith kissed him, now catching _him_ off guard. _Sneaky, indeed,_ Lance thought, smiling and wrapping his arms around Keith’s neck.

 

…They stayed in the car a little longer than expected.

 

***

 

Okay, Lance was terrible at bowling. 

 

"This is ridiculous..." he grumbled, stomping back to his seat after knocking over a single pin. Keith had his arm around the back of Lance's chair and patted him consolingly when he dropped down next to him. 

 

"It's okay! Hey, at least you got a spare a few frames ago," Keith said, kissing him on the cheek. Lance crossed his arms, but leaned into him. 

 

"Why did I agree to this again?" Lance asked, looking up at Keith. 

 

"Because you love me," Keith replied, smiling. 

 

"Keith's been staring at your ass every time you go up there, so I'm sure that was a contributing factor," Pidge interjected. 

 

Keith shrugged. "I mean, you aren't wrong. I do have a good vantage point." 

 

"Weirdo," Lance said, laughing, "Did you seriously choose bowling because you wanted to stare at my ass?" 

 

Keith gave his best attempt at looking innocent and said, "I'm not saying it _wasn't_ a thought that crossed my mind during the planning process..." 

 

"I don't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed right now, to be honest," Lance replied, nudging Keith with his shoulder. "I think I'll take it as a compliment."

 

"You should," Keith said, kissing him. "You should definitely take it as a compliment. And I'm _very_ glad I convinced you to buy those pants." He laughed when Lance nudged him again. "What? It's true."

 

Lance covered his face. "You can't just say stuff like that in public, Keith."

 

"Why not? It's not like everyone here hasn't heard me say stuff like that before," Keith replied. 

 

Lance peered between his fingers. "There are _children_ present!" He whispered, pointing at Pidge, who responded with an indignant "Hey!"

 

"I'm sure I'm not the only one to wonder this, but why is Alan whupping all of our butts at this game?" Hunk asked, pointing at the monitor. 

 

Alan adjusted his glasses and grinned. "Because bowling is my hidden talent, duh," he said, earning himself glares from the group. "What? It is."

 

"I know but...you're even beating Shiro and his arm is bigger than my _face_ ," Lance said. 

 

Alan shook his head. "No, dude, it's not about strength. You gotta play the _angles_."

 

Pidge looked over her shoulder from the lane, bowling ball in hand. "No, seriously do not play him in pool. You will lose."

 

"Dammit Pidge, you just ruined the perfect hustling opportunity!" 

 

"You are not hustling my friends, Alan." 

 

"C'mon, I'd give you a cut!"

 

Pidge looked thoughtful. "Okay. You can hustle Matt, then. He's gullible." She threw a strike. "Yessss," she hissed, hopping down from the lane. 

 

"Where is he, by the way?" Allura asked. "He wasn't at the party, was he?"

 

Pidge shook her head. "Mom and Dad had to go out of town, so when he went to visit, they stuck him with watching the dog.  He's definitely mad he couldn't make it though."

 

"It sucks they live so far from here," Lance mused. "I would've liked to see them." 

 

Pidge shrugged. "Invite them to visit sometime. I'm sure they'd love to see you both. Keith's basically in my family, anyway," she said. 

 

"Guys, did you see that??" Hunk shouted. 

 

Pidge, Keith, and Lance turned to look at him. "No?"

 

"I had a split the first throw and then I got both pins on the second one! It was amazing! I can't believe you missed it!" Hunk exclaimed, earning apologetic looks from the trio.

 

"Our bad, dude," Lance said, holding his hand out for a high-five. 

 

"Awesome job, though!" 

 

The three decided to focus more on everyone's game from that point on, and their encouraging shouts earned them a few dark looks from parents nearby. (Usually Keith was the recipient of such glances.) 

 

Allura was able to get a good number of points in, earning more than Lance, who was firmly stuck at the bottom of the rankings. Shay and Hunk almost tied, and Alan ended up taking the game. It was a fun evening overall, and even Lance was a good sport in the end. 

 

Once their hour had ended and they returned their shoes, the group gathered outside in the parking lot to say their goodbyes. 

 

"Thank you all for coming—really. It means a lot to us," Lance said, giving everyone a smile and a hug. 

 

Keith nodded, adding, "We appreciated y'all staying with us until the end—I know it was a pretty long time to hang out with us." 

 

Shiro put a hand on his shoulder. "Keith, we're happy to spend time with you both. It was fun." Allura took his arm and the two of them broke off from the group, waving. 

 

"We'll see you guys later!" Allura called over her shoulder, flashing them a smile. 

 

Pidge elbowed Hunk, and the two of them looked at Alan and Shay, respectively. "We're gonna head out, too," Pidge said, dragging Alan to her car. "See you losers later!" The couple gave them a wave, then turned back to Hunk and Shay.

 

"Thanks for inviting me!" Shay beamed, and Lance grinned at her. 

 

"You don't need to thank us, Shay, seriously. We're happy to have you," Keith said, putting an arm around Lance. "Thank you for coming!"

 

Hunk reached a hand toward Lance, and Lance grabbed it. "As always, you are a ray of sunshine in this world and I am happy to have you as my best friend," Lance said.  

 

Hunk laughed. "Absolutely, I'm excited for you both. Lance, we're hanging out later this week. Also, you owe Shay like, three pillows," he said, taking Shay's hand and leading them toward their car. Soon Keith and Lance were left alone in the dimly lit parking lot.

 

They exchanged glances, and Lance yawned. Keith tightened his grip around him. “Time to go home,” he said, and the two of them walked in tandem to their car.

 

***

 

The next morning, Lance opened his eyes and groggily pushed himself onto one elbow. _Geez, I must have passed out_ , he thought, turning over to face the middle of the bed. Keith was still next to him, and his messy black hair was peeking out from under the coverlet. _We both must have passed out--he never sleeps like that_ , Lance thought, running a hand through Keith's hair. The action alone was enough to wake Keith, and his dark eyes blinked open to meet Lance's blue ones. 

 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows sleepily and poked Lance's cheek. "You have pillow creases on your face," he said simply, before letting his arm fall back onto the bed. 

 

"And you decided to make yourself a burrow. You never do that," Lance replied, scooting closer to him. "We must have been pretty exhausted."

 

Keith pushed himself up to look over him at the floor. Clothes were scattered everywhere. "Must have been," he said, smirking at Lance. Lance turned red.

 

"Okay, bye now," Lance said, pulling the covers over his head and shimmying away from Keith. 

 

"Wait, what the—? Lance, where are you going?"

 

Lance emerged at the foot of the bed and rolled onto the floor. "Bye!" He dashed out of the room, and Keith heard a door slam. 

 

"Lance, what the hell?" Keith called out after him, struggling to untangle himself from their sheets. "What are you even _doing_?"

 

"Showering!"

 

"Then why did you literally sprint away from me???"

 

"I don't know!"

 

Keith accidentally face planted onto the floor after he managed to free himself. "What have I gotten myself into," he said, shaking his head. 

 

"You love me!" Lance shouted over the sound of water. 

 

Keith lay on the ground, heart pounding as he looked up at the ceiling. He smiled despite himself and clapped a hand over his face. "Yeah. I do."

**Author's Note:**

> A few things:
> 
> \- If I've misrepresented anything at all--please let me know, so I can fix it! I can only draw from my personal experience and the experiences of those in my life, so I have a limited perspective. I did do some research, but I know my scope can only go so far.  
> \- This was a very Pidge-, Shiro- and Klance-centric fic, and I'm wanting to expand the pair's relationships with other characters as well eventually.  
> \- Surprise, Lance has siblings! Jo is a nickname for his sister, and she's like 3 years younger than Lance and they are both nerds.  
> \- Keith is adopted; his parents adopted him when he was little so he grew up with Shiro as his big brother.  
> \- Alan is 23 and my son and I love him and he must be protected at all costs.


End file.
